IBM Unveils’World’s First Commercial Quantum Computer’

Whilst quantum computing is still in its infancy and is Largely just a part of books and research papers, IBM in CES 2019 unveiled the Q System One that is touted to be the world’s first quantum computer for commercial use.

The new machine does not look as a mainframe computer. On
the contrary, it comes from a contemporary, nine-foot-tall and nine-foot wide
case of half-inch thick borosilicate glass which reminds us of the cylindrical
design of the 2013 Mac Pro. The Armonk, New York-headquartered company has also
announced its plans to open the very first IBM Q Quantum Computation Centre in
Poughkeepsie later this year to provide a boost to its own quantum computing
business. Notably, the IBM Q System One won’t be sold publicly to the masses.
The business is, however, set to provide accessibility to the quantum computing
platform to businesses partnering under the IBM Q Network.

The IBM Q System One is officially known as the”world’s
first incorporated universal approximate quantum computing platform created for
scientific and commercial use”. The machine has been designed by a group
of industrial designers, architects, and manufacturers alongside IBM Research
scientists and network engineers. Especially, Google back in 2017 was believed
to have given early access to its own quantum machines to science labs and
artificial intelligence researchers.

Quantum computing is about quantum bits, or qubits, and for
processing each and every qubit, the machine needs an undistracted environment.
IBM has, therefore, consolidated all the elements of this Q System One to some
glass-enclosed, air-tight environment. The company also highlights the
integrated platform is aimed to continuously maintain the quality of qubits
used to help users effectively perform quantum computations.

The IBM Q System One utilizes a motor-driven rotation about
its two homeless axes to facilitate its maintenance and upgrade process. This
makes the system acceptable for commercial use instances, IBM said. There’s
also a series of independent aluminium and steel frames to help avoid any
possible vibration disturbance that could lead to”stage jitter” and
qubit decoherence.

IBM is not planning to bring the Q System One to the masses.
Nevertheless, there is a strategy to provide partners to the IBM Q Network
programme cloud-based access to its quantum computing operations. This seems
like the Big Blue is planning to bring a Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) version
for its own quantum computers later on.

Actual usage cases of quantum computing systems are yet to
emerge, though IBM jobs there might be applications such as”finding new
ways to model financial information and discovering new ways to model financial
data and isolating key worldwide risk factors to make better investments, or
even finding the optimal route across global systems such as ultra-efficient
logistics and simplifying fleet operations for deliveries”. Every one of
these is very likely to be the regions where the IBM Q System One will be sufficient
enough. Additionally, the machine is claimed to have a number of custom
elements that may open the route for modular quantum computers in the future.

“The IBM Q System One is a Significant step forward in
the commercialisation of quantum computing,” saidArvind Krishna, Senior
Vice President of Hybrid Cloud and Director of IBM Research, in a press
statement. “This new system is critical in expanding quantum computing
beyond the walls of the research lab as we work to develop functional quantum
programs for business and science.”

IBM has a legacy of attracting enterprise-focused computing
solutions. But quantum computing is something that could sit alongside the
company’s cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) developments to provide it an
edge against the competition. Having said that, it’s still very early to
forecast the success of this IBM Q System One.

A replica of this IBM Q System One is being showcased at CES
2019 at Las Vegas.